Universal joints are connecting elements that may be used for connecting two shafts that are rotatable about their respective longitudinal axes, especially when their longitudinal axes are not aligned relative to each other or are pivotable relative to each other. Universal joints include a central joint cross with four pins pointing away from one another. The pins are disposed in pairs on two orthogonal axes and are connected to one another by an end that points towards the center of the joint cross. Pairs of pins disposed on a common axis are each connectable to a fork-shaped end of a shaft so that the shaft can pivot about the common axis of the respective pair of pins. To improve this pivotability the pins include universal joint bearings which bearings are generally supported on the pins by a rolling-element bearing. Since universal joint bearings are primarily subjected to forces in the radial direction, needle roller bearings that include a plurality of needle rollers are often used. To reduce contact stress peaks during high deformations, many universal joint bearings include multi-row rolling-element sets that have, for example, two adjacently disposed needle rollers having the same length.
Known universal joint bearings with multi-row rolling element sets all have a common disadvantage. Specifically, needle rollers of different lengths must be provided for universal joint bearings that have different lengths. This results in increased storage expense and handling expense and increased manufacturing costs in addition to increased procurement costs.